By Shannon Ciston On August 21, 2020, the second day of the Molecular Foundry Annual User Meeting, I attended the symposium: Quantum Materials for Classical Computing, hosted by Foundry scientists Sinéad Griffin and Archana Raja. The virtual context made for a highly international slate of speakers, with speakers joining us from France, and Ireland, as well […]

By Yi-Hsien Lu Hybrid and organic solar cells are rapidly emerging photovoltaic technologies with encouraging cell efficiency and flexible manufacturing processes. However, instabilities against the exposure of humidity, oxidation, temperature variation, and light illumination are the main challenges for commercialization. In this symposium, seven speakers all presented incredible research activities to tackle these challenges.A number […]

The UEC recognized Colin Ophus with the Outstanding Staff Service award for his exceptional support for users as well as his professionalism and collaborative spirit. Users described his support as simply phenomenal, that his contributions elevated their work, and that he is an excellent mentor always ready to help. Poster competition – Four winners were […]

Day 2 of the Annual User Meeting started off with an overview of new capabilities that are coming soon or are already underway. Stefano Cabrini presented for the nanofabrication facility. The current E-beam lithography system is a VB300 Vistec/Leica that is the only one of its type left in operation in the world! It still […]

By Clarissa Bhargava At 11:35 AM on Day 1, the Foundry launched on its first-ever Virtual Poster Fair! From 80 submissions came 67 posters touching all seven Foundry facilities, plus industry users and prospective new users from around the world. Spanning 43 individual Zoom meetings, attendees had spirited discussions on nanowire growth (Edy Cardona), perovskites […]

By Annelise Barron On Day 1 of the 2020 Annual User Meeting of the Molecular Foundry, a very exciting User Highlight talk was given by Professor Anant Paravastu from Georgia Tech’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. Anant gave a lecture entitled, “Assembly-associated trans-to-cis amide bond isomerization with peptoid B28 nanosheets”. The talk highlighted his […]

By Brooke Kuei Although modern technology such as smart watches have already enabled us to stay constantly connected, the future of electronics may include devices that can integrate directly with skin or internal organs. Conjugated polymers are promising for these devices because they are electronic materials that are flexible and stretchable. In one of this […]

By Chenhui Zhu John Miao, a professor at UCLA, gave a user highlights talk on atomic electron tomography (AET), a recently developed technique that provides 3-D atomic structure of crystalline defects and noncrystalline systems.  His group has been working on developing cutting edge imaging techniques, including coherent x-ray imaging, and atomic electron tomography, and applying […]

By Sarbajit Banerjee On Day 1 of the Molecular Foundry User Meeting, Prof. Geoffrey W. Coates from Cornell University delivered an inspiring keynote lecture outlining the need for a new paradigm of sustainable polymer chemistry where plastics are designed keeping in mind their environmental impact and end-of-life disposal. Plastics are ubiquitous and this ubiquity is […]

By Cheryl Tajon Dr. Katya Cherukumilli is the CEO and Founder of the non-profit agency, Global Water Labs, and is a Postdoctoral Fellow at University of Washington.  She delivered a scientifically compelling and aspirational presentation on developing low-cost technologies to provide safe drinking water across the globe.  The audience was challenged with the connotation the […]